Glinda was dressed as for an ordinary day at work. She herself couldn't believe that she really had called in sick, only to have a quick lunch with Elphaba, and the last thing she wanted was for the green woman to find out about it. It was silly, immature, and it wasn't even her own idea. Oh darn, Fiyero!

When the tram approached her usual stop, Glinda shifted in her seat. What if someone saw her? She had half a mind to jump up and get off, but the doors closed again before she could make up her mind to do so. Anxiously, she ran her fingers through her long curls and exhaled. It was too late anyway. Showing up at the office after calling less than two hours earlier would be too awkward. And what excuse would she give Elphaba?

Elphaba. The mental mention of her name brought on a bout of mild nausea. Glinda's stomach couldn't possibly be so in knots because of her? Well, it was reasonable enough to assume that her risky undertaking played at least part in it, but remembering her first encounter with Elphaba, Glinda also recalled the instable nature of her feelings throughout. It had been an experience of push and pull; whenever she had thought she disliked her contrary opposite, she had found something surprisingly endearing about her. And now, in very much the same way, she dreaded to see Elphaba again, about as much as she longed for it.

Half an hour later, the tram stopped at the terminus. The ten-minute break between its arrival and scheduled departure for the return journey was too long for Glinda to ignore her opportunity to alight. She drew a deep breath and gathered her belongings. Time did not allow for further stalling. She wasn't late yet, but that could change quickly, if she didn't set aside her indecision this very moment. There was no way she was going to give Elphaba any fodder for harassment. Luckily, the place she was headed for was just across the street.

Walking past the café's large window, the short blonde hesitated. She couldn't spot Elphaba anywhere. Perhaps, she was running late? What if she had decided not to show up? Would all the trouble and emotional turmoil turn out to have been in vain? The mere idea upset her, no matter how unfounded her sudden worries may still prove to be.

She entered and asked for a table, when someone called her name. Startled, but instantly relieved, she looked around, until she noticed a green and black figure in the farthest corner. Feeling still a little jumped on, she tensely made her way past the other patrons.

The slow pace allowed her to gauge the situation before she arrived at the table. Elphaba's outfit was not as outlandish this time, and Glinda had to admit, that the simple black suit was indeed quite becoming on her. To her disappointment, however, the sleek, black hair had been forced into an austere bun. It made Elphaba look unnecessarily severe, considering her already sharp and prominent facial features.

"Hi," she said and mustered a nervous smile.

Elphaba seemed amused.

"Good seeing you again, blondie."

She fluttered her fingers in the direction of the empty chair, and Glinda took a seat.

"I admit, I was somewhat surprised when you actually contacted me. I thought you must have snapped out of your temporary madness and thought better of it."

Tilting her head, Glinda crossed her arms.

"Well done, Miss Thropp. Barely one minute into our lunch, and I already can't even figure out which of us you intended to insult."

"It seems we are off to a good start then," Elphaba laughed, almost cackled.

There was a brief pause, which Glinda purposefully tried to bridge by picking up a menu.

"Shall we order then?"

Despite it being their busiest hour, the experienced café staff handled everything swiftly, and their food arrived within less than ten minutes.

"So, are you having fun at 305 Ozma Street?" Elphaba asked casually as she broke off a piece of bread to dip into her dish of olive oil."

Glinda's food almost went down the wrong pipe, causing her to clear her throat.

"I botched that interview, I think." She took a sip of her water. "I ended up on the other side of town." Watching Elphaba arching an eyebrow, she wondered, whether she had given away too much. Quickly, she added, "Which was lucky in a way. I feel that everything here is way more fast paced and high pressure than I expected. It was obvious, of course, that Frottica wouldn't compare, but I still underestimated what working in the Emerald City would really be like. I think, in applying for a job with the TMB and the other inner city place, I really tried to bite off far more than I could chew."

Elphaba nodded thoughtfully.

"As long as it all worked out for you."

A feeble shrug. The money wasn't quite good enough, despite the long hours, the co-workers were gruffer than she was used to, and she didn't know whether she would ever get over her supervisor's incompetence, not to mention his absurd filing system. Yet, there was no need ranting to Elphaba, who was entirely blameless in all of this and not nearly closely enough acquainted with her to suffer through such moaning, simply to do her a favour.

"I suppose, you managed to find a financial analyst by now?" she said instead, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh yes," Elphaba replied, her face lighting up a notch. "We hired a Vinkun girl named Sarima. Now this time, Avaric bit off more than he will ever be able to chew!"

Glinda's curiosity was piqued – because she liked to think that Avaric was getting what he deserved, but even more so, because Elphaba seemed so unusually gleeful.

"That almost sounds like you had a hand in it," she remarked with a lopsided smirk, and Elphaba waved her hand in pseudo-modest dismissal.

"I suppose a little bit, seeing as it was I who encouraged her to apply for the job in the first place. I'd met her a few days prior at a seminar. Avaric thinks he is the greatest catch in the universe, but she won't raise to the bait. She doesn't suffer under his gross advances either; she deflects them with unmatched proficiency. I think, she actually gets off on shooting him down."

"Sounds like a match made in heaven," Glinda chuckled.

Elphaba had just opened her mouth to say something, when her phone rang. Throwing a glance at the display, she rolled her eyes and gave Glinda an apologetic look before picking up.

"What is it now?"

Glinda watched her get off her seat and walk towards the bathrooms. She didn't seem to be saying much she could possibly have overheard though. She only looked rather put out. The call ended within less than two minutes, and when Elphaba returned to the table, she immediately reached for her jacket and bag. She urgently rummaged about in her satchel, until she found a few notes. She paused, looking at Glinda, who stared at her, absolutely puzzled.

"Apologies," she sighed, a grimace flashing across her face. Apparently, she was genuinely sorry. "I know, this was a rather brief appointment, but duty calls."

She dropped the money on the table – enough to cover both bills. It made Glinda feel uneasy to have Elphaba treat her to something for the second time in a row. When she looked up, Elphaba was already about to leave.

"Elphie!"

Perplexed, the green woman stopped in her tracks. She half-turned to face her. Glinda gathered the cash and held it out towards her.

"You paid the last time we here; today it's my turn."

Elphaba considered her before eventually reaching for the money in the most reluctant manner.

"Are you sure?"

"It's only lunch."

Glinda laughed easily, but made a mental note to eat toast for dinner until the week was over.

Folding the notes and stuffing them in her pocket, Elphaba still held her gaze, working her mouth as if in thought.

"Are you free tonight?" she finally asked, taking Glinda by surprise.

"To-tonight?"

In her mind, Glinda berated herself for sounding so shocked, especially when Elphaba flinched and began to retreat.

"Yeah... right... Monday. I guess that's not the best timing when you have to get up early and all..."

It somehow felt wrong to end their meeting on such an awkward note, and thinking of all the trouble she had gone through to see Elphaba, Glinda was willing to put some more effort in making it worth the while.

"I don't," she blurt out quickly. "I mean, I don't have to get up early. In fact, a client just called earlier. To cancel a meeting. I won't have to be in the office before ten or so."

The words had tumbled, rather than flowed out of her mouth, not at all convincing. She could even see it in Elphaba's expression. It was so embarrassing.

In the end, Elphaba huffed in amusement and flashed her a small, lopsided grin.

"I'll text you," she promised in the way of a good bye and left.

Glinda watched as Elphaba disappeared through the doors on the other side of the café. Once the last inch of green skin was out of her sight, she slumped onto the table, head cradled in her hands. Why in Oz couldn't she stop acting like a freaking idiot?

Seeing as she was about to pay for it all, Glinda made sure to finished her food. She even tried some of Elphaba's fried tofu balls and decided that they weren't even half bad. When the plates were more or less empty, she could feel the waiter eying her irritably, without a doubt wondering when she would be leaving at last. Truth be told, however, she had no idea what to do next. Elphaba's invitation had been as vague as it had been surprising. The blonde only hoped that she wouldn't be dragged into any kind of entertainment that required her to spend too much money. Likewise, she began to fret over what she was supposed to be wearing. Wouldn't it be better if she went home to change out of her work ensemble?

Glinda didn't end up changing, too anxious about the risk that passing her work stop twice more before the usual home time would entail. Instead, she found herself a cosy window seat in the nearby library, reading magazines and idly browsing through her phone. Four hours went by like that, until she received the long-awaited message from Elphaba.

'Done in fifteen. Meet in front of the café.'

'K,' she replied and got off her seat to return the magazines.

Glinda had found herself a spot near the café from where she could easily observe the busy coming and going from the TMB building's main entrance. She saw Avaric leave the complex, chatting with a female employee in customer service uniform. She made a face, imagining herself in the young woman's place. Elphaba emerged not long after, her satchel looking considerably heavier than it had at lunch and an additional pile of materials clamped under her arm. Slowly, Glinda strolled to the precise location Elphaba had advised.

She busied herself with her phone, feeling that it was better to conceal the fact that she had been on the look-out for Elphaba. Somehow, her general impatience just didn't seem quite appropriate. She heard the distinct sound of heels on pavement. Someone was quickly approaching her general direction, and she wondered whether the clicking sounds were matching the stride pattern of the very woman she was waiting for. Instead of checking to confirm, she remained still, finishing the news story she was reading.

"Thanks for waiting," Elphaba greeted her once she was close enough.

Glinda casually looked up from her phone and smiled.

"Hey," she replied simply, closing the gap between them. "So, what's the plan."

"Dinner." Elphaba looked away briefly, then back at Glinda. "At my place, if that's okay."

Although initially stunned, Glinda was rather pleased. Of course, she didn't exactly know about people in general, but she herself at least avoided brining people to her home, her private space, unless there was a relationship of trust. Indeed, only few of her friends had ever seen the inside of her apartment – partially because Glinda often wasn't sure how they would react to her eccentric flatmates. Whether Elphaba was equally protective of her territory was hard to say, but at any rate, she took it as a good sign.

She had half expected Elphaba to guide her to her car, but instead, they legged it. They followed the main shopping promenade for about ten minutes, then headed right, into one of the small, hidden alleyways. When they came out the other end, Glinda recognised the area. She had been here a while ago, purely to have a look. Architecture was a secret passion of hers and this particular style of the surrounding houses was rather rare and somewhat famous among local enthusiasts. They walked along Lower Mennipin Street for another five minutes, past series of very high-end vintage apartment buildings, and Glinda began to wonder, how much a human resource manager - even at a big bank - could possibly earn.

At last, they turned into the dooryard of a house that looked insignificantly smaller, but just as posh as most of the other neighbouring structures. Glinda noticed the number next to the door, but was puzzled by the absence of the usual panel of doorbells and nametags. Perhaps, she supposed, the main door usually remained unlocked, allowing visitors to enter before ringing whoever they intended to call on.

Her theory immediately fell through, when Elphaba stopped in front of the solid quoxwood door, dug through her satchel and finally fished out a bunch of keys. The door opened with a slight squeak to reveal a large entrance hall, entirely decorated with polished lime stone. There were neither lifts, nor apartment doors, and the extravagant winding stair case in the middle of the hall led to a gallery of family portraits. Glinda was gobsmacked into wide-eyed silence.

"Yeah, sorry about the unnecessary pomp," Elphaba apologised as she put her bag down and placed the pile of files, books and loose papers on a side table. She briefly rolled her shoulders and gave her neck a rub. "This is my family's traditional Emerald City residence. I'm afraid it's a bit much, but my father is too attached to it and refuses to move to a smaller or more practical place."

Reverently, Glinda followed Elphaba inside. She had been wondering what these elaborate buildings would look like on the inside, but she had not at all guessed, that some of them could still be used as single family homes.

"We used to own another heritage building – Colwen Grounds in Nest Hardings, Munchkinland," Elphaba explained, probably mainly out of the need to break the silence. "It was actually much bigger and grander than this one here, with its own estate and everything. Terrible place. Anyway, the upkeep of such a great house is costly. At some point, my family was neither able, nor willing to pay for the upcoming restoration works. Following my great-grandfather's death, we had it demolished."

"What a pity," Glinda murmured, slowly revolving on the spot to take in the exquisite stucco ceiling she had just discovered.

Had she looked, she would have seen Elphaba's brows shoot up in surprise, followed by a slight smile tucking at the corner of her lips.

"Well, how about I show you the rest of the house then?"

Glinda agreed eagerly, but soon felt a little bad about it. Elphaba was generous enough to show her almost every room, safe the family's private rooms, but had little to say about any of them. She obviously was ill prepared as tour guide in her own home, and Glinda imagined how much she must have felt put on the spot.

The viewing took well longer than an hour. In the end, they moved back to the ground floor kitchen, and Elphaba began to prepare a quick noodle dish for dinner.

"It's a beautiful house," Glinda enthused and laughed, when Elphaba briefly turned around to frown at her. "Well, it does seem a little lonely. Is that what you hate so much about it?"

"I dislike the opulence, the lavishness. The loneliness, I'm sort of on the fence about. It can be overwhelming at times, but also a true blessing at others."

"Where is everyone else? Are you always the first to return from work?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"Most of the time it's only my brother, Shell, and I. He generally does whatever and it's hard to say when he might be home or not. My father found his vocation in traveling the world and recruiting new followers for the unnamed god."

Noticing Glinda's bewildered expression, she grinned.

"Yes, he's an actual unionist minister. Shell and I find it hysterical, as we don't believe. But my sister is another story; she follows him around, from country to country, despite her disability and all.

Glinda hesitated for a moment.

"Would it be very rude to ask, what kind of disability your sister has?"

"Well, you already asked," Elphaba remarked dryly, and Glinda found it impossible to discern whether she was just making fun of her, or whether she was indeed offended. "She was born without arms," Elphaba went on, matter-of-factly, not sounding upset at all. "Obviously, that makes many daily tasks problematic for her, and on top of that, she has difficulties keeping her balance. She bears it like a martyr though, so it only strengthens her devotion to my father's god and his church."

For a moment, Glinda wondered if the sister's disability was at all associated with Elphaba's skin condition or whatever it was. She pushed the thought aside, however. She realised, that in voicing her question, she might be touching on a particularly sensitive topic, especially since this was the first time she had ever heard of, let alone seen someone like Elphaba.

"It must be very difficult for your father to look after her when travelling," she said instead. "Do you know their current location?"

"They are once again back in Quadling Country. Converting Quadlings seems to be my father's true vocation, probably related to an old family friend that passed away years ago. It's a tricky place to live for someone like Nessa - quite rural and inaccessible - but there's also Nanny to help them out. She is dedicated to my sister's care and also looks after father. Not that he really notices it at all."

Dinner was finished, and Glinda helped Elphaba preparing the table. The food was simple, but highly edible, not to say delicious. When Glinda expressed the sentiment, Elphaba stared at her blankly, before shrugging her shoulders. Cooking well didn't seem much of an achievement to her, while Glinda, who considered herself as very culinarily challenged, couldn't hide her admiration.

Desert wasn't homemade. They ate organic frozen cheese cake that just happened to be available. Glinda had watched Elphaba searching for goodies in her fridge and freezer, and had immediately felt incredibly jealous. Compared to the sparse and boring content of her own kitchen, this one was a true treasure cove.

"Thank you so much for dinner," she gushed after licking the last bit of cake off her fork. "I shall not eat this well for months to come."

Elphaba frowned at her.

"Is that some kind of diet you're on?" she enquired.

Glinda couldn't tell if it was meant to be a joke. She laughed a little, as it seemed the safest reaction either way.

"No, I haven't been on any diets since my insecure teen years. I just have to make sure to keep my money together a bit, is all. My current job doesn't pay super much, rent is expensive, and I freely admit to spending too much money on clothes and shoes."

"Clothes over food. Some very healthy priorities."

The smile on the shorter blonde's lips